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Ost Dun'darm
"Into the unknown we venture." Description Shorter than the average dwarf, he has a timid look about him. Hunched over, a walking stick in hand, the cloaked dwarf wears simple garments of both leather and cloth. Adorned with braids and braclets which have long lost their color, the dwarf's gray beard is a whimsical and ancient sight to behold. His wrinkled face, with clumps of dirt and mostly dust in its crevices, whose cheeks wither like an expiring flower, despite its many folds, is like a block of stone carved out from a mountain side. If it were not for his emerald-green eyes, his appearance would look so common, so drab, that you'd wonder if he had rolled in a big mud puddle all day and then resumed to have sat in the sun in order for the dirt to settle, for hours on end, before repeating the process over and over again. Biography Well into early adulthood, Durnam, like the rest of his clansmen, left Ironforge in the wake of their defeat by the Bronzebeards. Defending Grim Batol until it's inevitable doom, he fled with a group of Wildhammer dwarves and colonized a new home in a remote region of the Hinterlands, away from those who had settled in Aerie Peak. They would name the land Mossflower, and the city Noonvale would be born. A new clan of dwarves would be forged known as the Wildheart. Childhood and Early Adulthood Ost Dun'darm is his given name although he is commonly referred to simply as Durnam. He grew up working on his family's fields for most of his adolescence, somewhere in the swamps of the Wetlands. Durnam however had little interest in being a farmhand all his life, and so he had decided to travel to the capital to find work and perhaps enroll as an apprentice to some craft. The journey to Ironforge gave Durnam a different perspective of the world, him being no longer hidden away behind the shut doors of farm life. Arriving in the capital, Durnam worked as a librarian's assistant before beginning to train as a stonecutter. Having finally enough money earned from his labour, he enrolled in a popular stonecutter's guild before leaving it indefinetly as tensions began to grow between the three major clans of Ironforge. Being of Wildhammer descent, Durnam's passions roused him as he picked up arms to battle. Though he fought well and hard he and his clansmen would suffer continual defeats, they eventually being ousted out of Ironforge and finding themselves in the lands of Dun Algaz. Grim Batol and the Sorceress's Curse Following his people out of their former home, bitterness and anguish filled the hearts of many as they trekked into the heart of the Wetlands. Having stumbled upon what would be the future sight of Grim Batol, the Wildhammer kind began rebuilding a city of their own. Priding themselves with their work, their home rivaled that of Ironforge in wonder and vastness. Durnam, having helped in what ways he could as an architect and stonecutter, was a hero of the clan along with many others. He felt Grim Batol was not just another city but a creation he helped build. For years he lived in peace and in great joy, Durnam and his kinsmen had dismissed their once passionate hatred for the Bronzebeards and Dark Irons. Although the past was behind him, it would seem old hatreds were not so easily forgotten by others. As the Dark Iron armies encroached upon the mountain city of Grim Batol, Durnam was in the line of defense among his brethren. They were well protected but the sorceress, Modgud, had cast a dark shadow which rose and stalked the Wildhammers in their own city. Although the sorceress would be slain and the invaders repelled, the cursed halls of Grim Batol were no longer habitable. Khardros, Thane of the Wildhammer clan, lead his people out of what was once their kingdom north. But Durnam would not follow for long. Due to disagreements and infighting, a large sect of the clan wandered aimlessly away from Aerie Peak to create their own home. Finding themselves in an even more rough and isolated region, Durnam and the other refugees settled in what would be known as Mossflower. Laying the foundations for a new city, Noonvale was born. A New Home After months of wanderlust and aimless journeys into the wilderness, Durnam and the band of dwarves that accompanied him found themselves lost in a region far north in the Hinterlands. Driven off by trolls until near to extinction, the group was forced to continue their path away from mapped lands. Soon their means of travelling were of no use to them, maps and even the stars could not guide the forlorn dwarves. Having crossed over the high peaks seperating themselves to the known world, they would begin to venture into the unknown. By luck they escaped the trolls' wrath, tensions soon easing as an aura of calmness fell upon them. Delving deeper and deeper into the wilderness, they discovered everything anew, from creatures to plants to herbs. Durnam and his companions would settle down in what would be known as Noonvale, marking the valley as their own. Quickly setting out to construct a home, the small settlement would rise gradually and over the years go from a campsite to a town to a city. Rumors of the place reached the ears of the Wildhammer dwarves in Aerie Peak, which, years later, would allow first contact between the two since their split. Noonvale thrived, but Durnam had aged terribly. Even in his prime the red of his hairs began to lighten into that of a gray, the stress and hardships that had occured in his life finally catching up. He became a lot more timid, and less social. Durnam began to spend more time with books and dedicated himself to his studies. Going away for days in the wilderness, he spent much time around the land and earth, watching Mossflower's creatures and critters with awe. He found great joy in little things, but became suddenly depressed as he saw those things begin to pass. His presence would go unnotice, he either here or there. The people of Noonvale paid little attention to him, thinking him rather odd and senile. It's been years since Durnam has showed his face around the city he had once built, leading many to question his whereabouts, and if he were alive or dead. Call of the Wilderness After many years of living in Noonvale, Durnam had begun to sulk into a depression. The burdens he carried with him since the siege of Grim Batol poisoned his will, the memories of those dark shadows still etched into the corners of his mind. Spending days in lonesome solitude out in the wilderness, Durnam felt atleast some comfort alone, compared to his lifestyle in the closed spaces of Noonvale. Trekking deeper and deeper into the heart of Mossflower, he placed himself far distant into what seemed like another world. Meditating frequently, he sat for hours in quiet isolation, his thoughts driftless and his mind at ease. Although he was alone, Durnam heard the whispers of several voices. Startled, he'd trouble himself thinking he had gone mad, refusing to listen to the harsh utterings within his mind. Scared and confused, he panicked as each voice struggled to communicate with him. Yet, there was a voice which was the softest, whose words echoed throughout his mind and gave him a sense of hope, opposite to despair. Looking to the skies, he beseeched this voice to aid him. Casting out the other voices which had grew into that of chaotic screams, his suffering soon eased as they faded into the distance. Pondering the voice whose soft utterings intrigued him, he began to converse openly, speaking to the "skies" as if they were really there. After months of isolation and deep meditation, Durnam answered the call which beckoned him from what seemed like the very depths of the earth. A new role was presented to him as he took the path of a shaman, preserving the balance of Mossflower and acting as a spiritual guide for Noonvale and the region as a whole. He would be the first to introduce shamanism to the Wildheart, strengthening the clan's ties to the earth and nature around them. Present Day Decades later, Durnam remains an enigmatic figure. His old cottage within Noonvale had deteriorated over the years, unkempt and broken down from being looked over for so long. What little remains in that tightly fixed home are the forgotten works of Durnam, including the original blue prints for Noonvale, all of which are left behind to age among his many other disowned posessions. Immortalized by folk lore, he is the keeper of Mossflower, the guardian that safekeeps the wilderness and prevents harm done upon Noonvale. Though no one knows where he really is, Durnam has an uncanny way to show up when he is most needed. Category:Dwarf Category:Noonvale Category:Mossflower Category:Back story